Commuting Couples Live A Tale Of 3 Cities

Two-income Families Who Work In Far-flung Cities May Choose A Midpoint As Home, But It Involves A Compromise.

May 14, 1992|By Harry Wessel of The Sentinel Staff

On a typical weekday, Chuck and Valerie Barnett drive 120 miles to and from work.

They commute in opposite directions from their three-bedroom home in the Indian Wells subdivision of Kissimmee, Chuck driving 40 miles to and from Orlando, Valerie driving 80 miles to and from Lakeland.

The couple, both in their early 30s, see nothing unusual or difficult about working more than an hour's drive from each other.

''We think it works out real well,'' said Chuck, a marketing manager for SunBank who drops off the couple's 4-month-old son at a downtown preschool on his way to work.

''We talk to each other (by phone) once or twice a day,'' said Valerie, director of advertising and promotion for the Florida Department of Citrus.

Nobody knows how many other two-income couples share the Barnetts' tale of three cities, but there are certainly others.

''Couples are working farther away from each other,'' said Myrna Neims, a Gainesville family therapist whose doctoral dissertation was on the impact of job relocation on couples.

She cited a number of reasons why couples work in different cities, including limited professional opportunities in any given city, nepotism policies among companies and institutions, and the fact that wives no longer automatically defer to their husbands' job situation.

''More and more couples,'' Neims said, ''are looking for a central location so that neither one nor the other has the lions' share of the burden of travel.''

According to a survey last year by the Downtown Orlando Transportation Management Association, more than 2,000 downtown Orlando workers have a daily round-trip commute of more than 50 miles. Neims is certain that a healthy percentage of those workers have spouses driving lengthy distances in the opposite direction.

Neims, as well as other observers of the Central Florida commuting scene, cited Lakeland as one of the most popular bedroom communities for long-distance commuters along the Interstate 4 corridor.

Jim and Carla Bellonzi fit the bill. He is director of computer operations for Kissimmee-based Tupperware; she is a senior manager with Price Waterhouse in Tampa.

Choosing Lakeland for their home ''was a business decision,'' said Carla, 36, who commutes 100 miles round trip to her office. ''We like what we're doing. We've just gotten used to it, to our day having an additional two hours'' of commuting time.

The drive time gives her a chance to prepare for her workday in the morning and unwind from it in the evening, she said. But, she acknowledged, the routine takes its toll by the end of the week.

''Friday used to be a fun night to go out. Now it's a fun night to sleep.''

They haven't had the time or energy to make friends in Lakeland, which Jim, also 36, calls ''just a stopover.'' They discuss having children someday but agree that their commuting situation will probably have to change.

The biggest problem with their combined 180 miles of daily commuting is speeding tickets. Tickets come with the territory, Jim said. ''It's like being a truck driver - you're just exposed more.'' His worst streak of luck came in the early '80s when too many tickets resulted in his license being suspended for 30 days.

''I was fortunate. I was able to commute with another person at Tupperware who lived in Lakeland.''

His advice to other long-distance commuters? ''Don't buy a red car. Even when you keep up with traffic they single you out.'' He now drives a teal Camaro.

Another Lakeland couple, who asked to remain anonymous, make similar hourlong daily commutes to their respective offices in Orlando and the Tampa Bay area.

''We take it one day at a time,'' said the wife, who is in her early 30s. ''It seems like we're always driving into the night - we leave in the morning when it's dark and often get home when it's dark. If you don't think about it, you don't ask yourself how you do it.''

James and Adrienne Perry are perhaps more typical of couples who commute to different cities, though they aren't exactly your typical couple. He is a prominent Orlando lawyer; she is a prominent educator who works at Stetson University in DeLand while also serving as mayor of the couple's hometown, Longwood.

The two take their daily commutes - 60 miles round trip for her, 30 miles round trip for him - in stride.

''It's just something we have to do,'' said James, 48. ''She's happy where she's going, and I'm happy where I'm going. Of course, I have to make an appointment to see her sometimes.''

For Adrienne, whose professional, political and civic responsibilities keep her on the constant go, the long commute to Stetson is just one more hurdle to overcome.

''I really have to watch my time,'' said the 50-year-old mayor. ''I have to pay attention to traffic reports and really plan out the day.''

But she also sees a bright side to her long commute. ''It really does improve your memory. When I get in the car I don't leave anything behind.''